Time
by Readergirl37
Summary: Bonnie accidentally sends Elena into Elijah's past. Soulmate au with a twist. Long haul fic. Name might change. Elejah and minor Klaroline later on.
1. Spell

"It's just for fun." Bonnie insists as Caroline grabs the popcorn from the microwave. They were going to have a normal sleepover but Bonnie's been trying to get one of them to be a guinea pig for a spell she found a few days ago.

"I don't want to know who I'm supposed to be with. It's freaky." Caroline says and shakes her head as she puts it into a bowl. Bonnie looks at her with puppy dog eyes Elena hasn't seen in years. Caroline walks into the room as Elena pauses the movie none of them have been paying attention to for the last hour.

"Fine." Elena sighs.

"Fine, I'll do it if you really want to." Elena says and Bonnie's eyes sparkle.

"I promise. This isn't a very difficult spell." Bonnie promises and Caroline groans loudly as they move things around to make room for the spell. Elena sits in a circle surrounded by candles as Bonnie stares at the book.

"Okay. Here we go." She says and begins to chant in a language neither she or Caroline can understand, and Elena stays perfectly still. She's a little nervous, she's not actually sure who she wants to be the person she's supposed to be with. Stefan is still cold and distant and her feelings for him died on Wickery Bridge. Damon is intense and obsessive, she already dated Matt, she runs through a list of the men in town. Elijah though, Elijah's intense but she trusts him. The doorbell rings and Bonnie's focus breaks for a moment, she looks away from the circle before she continues chanting, hopefully a word or two wrong won't do anything wrong. She continues and there's a flash of light Caroline moves to shield the witch from. When the light fades, there's no one in the circle.

"It's just a salesman." Caroline checks through the window and looks back at Bonnie. Elena is gone.

"Care, the spell wasn't supposed to do that." Bonnie says slowly and Caroline's stomach starts to knot.

"Well maybe you sent her to where her soulmate is or something." Caroline shrugs and Bonnie shakes her head as she holds up her mortar and pestle.

"This was supposed to spell out her soulmate's name on her arm. Not move her anywhere." Bonnie says and Caroline gaps.

"You could have killed her!" Caroline says and they begin to call different people. Someone has to know where Elena is.


	2. Human

"Are you alright?" The language doesn't sound like she should be able to understand it but she does somehow anyway. She's on the ground, with a man staring at her. The man looks familiar but it takes her a moment. It's Elijah.

"I'm not sure," Elena says but as the words come out, it's a different language. He has long hair, he looks a little younger than the Elijah of her time. He offers her a hand and she takes it, getting up. His hand is warm and she knows suddenly that's he's human. She can't help but look at him with interest, staring longer than she needs to.

"Were you traveling? Not many come by here and no one should be out in these woods alone," He says and she nods as she thinks of a lie.

"I was traveling with my family-and I can't remember anything else. I think I hit my head," She tells him and he moves a hand to her head to see if there's blood or a bump. This stranger is interested in him, and he doesn't feel any blood or signs of injury on her head.

"My mother taught me some of her knowledge for healing but I do not know how to fix your memory. Walk with me to the village, my mother can heal you," Elijah insists and she nods. Maybe Esther can make sense of this, and if Elijah's still human then Henrik is alive. Esther could be nice and send her home, although she doubts that it'll be that easy.

"I'm Elijah," He introduces himself quietly, the pretty stranger seems to be lost in thought.

"I'm Elena," She says and he looks at her.

"That's a lovely name," He says, and it reminds her of _her_ Elijah, _lovely Elena._ No, the Elijah of the present isn't hers and neither is this one.

* * *

"Caroline, slow down. What happened?" Her mother asks and she begins again.

"Bonnie did a spell and we have no idea where she is," Caroline repeats and her mother's face falls.

There's a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Bonnie says and opens it, looking at the vampire on her porch with surprise.

"I know where Elena is," He says and Bonnie stares at him blankly. If he knew, he'd already be there to get her or she'd be back already.

"Where?" Caroline asks.

"The past. My past, to be more precise. What I want to know is why I have new memories of Elena from when I was human," Elijah says and Bonnie swears.


	3. Screwed

AN: So about half of this is already written, so this won't take very long to post and mark as complete (hopefully)!

* * *

"It's not too far to the village, but we might as well speak to each other to pass the time," Elijah suggests in the near silence. There's the sound of the woods and nothing else and she's still trying to wrap her head around the fact Bonnie sent her to Elijah, he could be her _soulmate_ , and she's _in_ the past, _his_ past.

"I have a younger brother. Do you have any siblings?" Elena asks him about what she hopes is a safe topic. She already knows the answer, but he doesn't know that.

"I have an older brother named Finn, younger brothers named Niklaus, Kol and Henrik and then a younger sister named Rebekah," Elijah tells her and she nods.

* * *

"How do we get her back?" Bonnie wonders and Elijah picks up her grimoire and studies it.

"This word can mean three different things depending on how you pronounce it. What did you say?" Elijah asks and Caroline quietly curses.

"I said it how it's spelled," Bonnie says.

"That would mean to send. You sent her to-" He continues reading and looks up at the two girls.

"Her soulmate," His voice shows no emotion and they all notice that but Elijah continues to the next word.

"This next word means two things, either draw a line or a past line,"Elijah says and pronounces both variations carefully.

"We're fucked," Caroline announces and her mother begins to scold her.

"No, Mrs. Forbes, we really are. I can't pull her back, and a witch has to help her where she is. If anyone remembers her with new memories, it would create a paradox or something worse. Elena always paid more attention to science fiction than I did," Bonnie admits and the air is heavy.

"That one with the time traveling wife was really good," Caroline says absentmindedly and Bonnie glares.

"Right. Sorry. How do we-what do we do?" Bonnie wonders and Elijah sighs.

"Currently Elena is fine, all we can do is wait. I'll inform my siblings, Elena and I will encounter them shortly if I'm correct. If Elena can get Esther to help her, we might get her back soon," Elijah says and Bonnie nods as she rereads the spell.

"So is Elena stuck in the past until someone from the past sends her here?" Caroline wonders and Bonnie and Elijah shake their heads at the same time.

"I think the spell will skip around and try to send her back to the future but I'm not sure about anything. I'll need to ask a few people," Bonnie says and Sheriff Forbes closes her eyes as she thinks of how they're going to explain Elena's disappearance.


	4. Love

Elena is not married and she's not promised to anyone which is strange.

"I was supposed to be with a man named Stefan. Someone-someone pulled him away and our future together was put on hold. His older brother Damon attempted to win my heart while he was gone but he didn't. Stefan returned but when he did-" Elena trails off and he waits a few moments for her to continue.

"Elena?" Elijah prods carefully, she's still next to him but she seems distant and she didn't finish her sentence. He says her name the same way, she notices.

"When Stefan came back, he hated the person who pulled him away from me. But he almost killed me to make a point to that person and I fell out of love with him. Stefan does not love me and my family would not allow me to marry him anyway," Elena is quiet and there are things in the forest that are louder than they are in the silence. He wants to apologize, he wishes she had better experiences with love, but she speaks before he has the chance to.

"Are you married?" Elena wonders, she's always wondered about his past, and now she's stuck in it. He shakes his head, and she stares a little longer than she needs to, his hair is so different. He's so different from the buttoned up and guarded Elijah of her time. Will her Elijah remember this if Esther can send her back?

"I am not," Elijah says and they walk through the trees, Elena thinks she can hear people.

"If you need to, you should be able to stay with us. My father has taken my younger brothers out on a hunt. It's just Finn, Rebekah, my mother and I," Elijah smiles.

"Thank you-but I hope your mother can restore my memory. I miss my brother and my family. I've never been away from them for very long," Elena admits and he nods.

"I've never been away from my family for very long either. Family is important," Elijah agrees and it's nice to know Elijah's the same to some extent.

"Here we are," Elijah says and she sees what's supposed to become Mystic Falls, staring with her mouth open a little.

"It's not that impressive," Elijah seems amused at her awe and she doesn't bother correcting his assumption. They both see a flash of blonde hair and Elijah walks toward the person.

"Rebekah!" Elijah calls and she turns to look at them. Rebekah looks younger than the one of her time, there must be a gap between where she is and when they become vampires. Rebekah walks over to them, she's so young and human.

"Hello 'Lijah. Who's this?" Rebekah asks, as Elena stares at her. She's been staring too long, she needs to say something.

"I'm Elena. I love your hair. I can't braid mine like that," She says and Rebekah grins at her.

"I can teach you, if you want," There aren't a lot of girls who talk to her who aren't interested in her brothers, but Elena isn't even paying attention to Elijah. Elena's completely ignoring him but Elijah seems interested in Elena. Maybe she's just imagining it though, Elijah hasn't expressed much interest in marriage or love before.

"I'd love that. If I stay that long," Elena needs to get home and longer she stays the harder it's going to be. Rebekah frowns.

"Why leave?" She wonders and Elena lets Elijah explain because he's already talking before she can open her mouth.

"Oh. I'm sure mother can help. Just don't leave before I teach you how to braid," Rebekah says and Elena knows her in the future, it's so odd to know the older Rebekah and look at the younger one.

"I promise I won't," Elena says.

* * *

He knew he was in love with Elena before this, but in his memories, she stared at him, flirted a little. Does Elena like him better as a human? There's too many questions and not enough answers.

"What do you mean she was sent to your past? How do we get her back?" Klaus wonders and Elijah begins to explain.


	5. Short

"Can you two leave us alone for a moment?" Esther inquires but by her tone Elena knows it's not a question, it's a demand.

"Of course," Elijah says and Esther looks at her.

"You don't have memory loss, do you?" The Original Witch cuts to the chase.

"No. But I need your help," Elena admits.s

* * *

"Why isn't she back yet? Why do you only remember a few days of memories? Shouldn't you just remember everything or something?" Bonnie fires off questions.

"We don't know more than you do. We want Elena back too," Kol says and Bonnie looks at him with surprise.

* * *

"Your mother said it would take a few days to get the ingredients and for the moon to be in place. Sorry to keep you two out here," Elena says and Rebekah shrugs.

"I picked some flowers for our braids," The blonde smiles and Elena smiles back. Rebekah's not an idiot, she can see how her older brother is staring at Elena.

"They're beautiful," Elena says and Rebekah grins.

"Of course. Now let's find somewhere to sit to do this," Rebekah says, telling her older brother with her eyes to go move, Elena's attention is hers for now.


	6. Vervain

It's been two days with Elena and Rebekah's happy to have a friend. Some of the people in the village avoid them because her mother practices magic.

"One of my closest friends in my old village is a witch. I don't see anything wrong with it," Elena said simply and Rebekah had beamed at her. Elena's spotted Finn a few times, but he's been more preoccupied with Sage. She's said hello a few times, but she mostly spends her time helping Elijah or Rebekah with chores or collecting spell ingredients for Esther. She misses her own time, jeans, technology, her friend and food. She'd kill for a pair of Converse. Bonnie must be trying to get her back, but Elena's sure Esther can get her back. The Original Witch has promised that when Elena's sent back to her time, everyone's memories will be fixed too.

* * *

"Hello there," Elijah says as she carefully plucks vervain and puts it into the bowl she was asked to fill.

"Hello," Elena says, and looks up at him. Rebekah helped her braid her hair that morning so it looks much better in the back than if she was left to her own devices. It's the little things that she appreciates in this time period. He moves to sit next to her and Elena smiles, but Elijah notices it doesn't reach her eyes.

"Is something wrong?" He wonders as he helps her pick the plant. She stares at his hands for a moment, not long after she met Elijah she threw a vervain bomb into his face. Her Elijah can't touch vervain like this one. She shakes her head slightly, there is no version of Elijah that's hers. She goes with a safer topic that's on her mind instead.

"I miss my family. I miss home. I like your village, and you and your family have been nothing but kind-but I want my own family. I want to go back to them," Elena says and Elijah nods thoughtfully, careful to avoid touching her hands as they pick vervain.

"But it would be unwise of you to travel alone and try to find them. My mother will restore your memory and you will leave," He says and she wonders if it's just her, but he sounds disappointed. It's not like she can promise to visit, hopefully Esther can just send her back into the future and she can apologize to the Mikaelsons for intruding. Elena sighs.

"I know," She tells him and eventually the bowl is full of purple flowers with broken stems.

"My father and brothers should be coming back from hunting soon. A few days perhaps," Elijah says and Elena has to fake a smile. Mikael didn't like her or his children very much when she met him, and she'll meet Henrik.

"I can't wait to meet them," She lies. Elijah's fine, but it's hard to look at Rebekah knowing she shoved a dagger into her. It's going to be harder to look at Klaus because he killed her, he killed her and Henrik is doomed to die. She's not looking forward to meeting human Mikael either.


	7. In the Woods

Ayanna offers to take her when the rest of the Mikaelsons come back and Elena jumps at the offer. All she has to do is a few chores and collect potion ingredients for Ayanna, more than a fair deal. Not only is it hard to be around Elijah, she can't imagine living with all of the Mikaelsons. Long haired human Elijah is fascinating but the Elijah of her time will remember it.

It's been a week since the younger Mikaelson boys returned from their hunting trip and along with his brothers wanting to learn more about her, Rebekah keeps taking up all of Elena's time. While Elijah sees Elena and they can talk, they're not ever alone. Elijah finds that he can barely spend any time with her until things calm down, two weeks later.

* * *

Elena misses her family, and his mother curiously hasn't cast the spell to return her memory. Elijah doesn't want her to leave, but he's surprised she hasn't left yet. He finds her in the woods about to pick the wrong plant, and without thinking, he moves quickly to keep her hand from the leaves. She turns around, the worry disappearing as she sees who it is. He keeps his hand in hers, a few inches from the plant until he pulls their hands away.

"If you wanted to spend time with me, you could have just said something. No need to keep me from chores," Elena teases with a smile and he shakes his head.

"That plant is poisonous. You'd have an awful reaction and it would feel like you burned your hand for days," Elijah informs her and she wonders if he still knows he's still holding her hand. She doesn't mind, but the Elijah of her time has barely ever touched her, not that he'd have reason to. This Elijah isn't so distant, and she swallows at his close proximity, suddenly aware how scandalous they might look to anyone traveling in the woods. Things are different in this time, and her Elijah's never looked at her like this before.

"Oh. Thank you," She's a little breathless and he keeps looking at her and she bites her lip.

"You're quite welcome," His slight accent is noticeable and she shifts slightly. Elena's seen him in suits and in the clothes of his human days and this Elijah is so gentle and careful and fierce, and she's not sure which one of them does it but one of them closes the distance.

It's a nice kiss, gentle and a little unsure. He releases her hand but moves them slightly away from the poisonous plant. He moves away first, but can't resist giving her another short kiss, and she has to remember where they are. Elena remembers what she's doing and she stares at him as she tries to think of what she's supposed to feel versus what she actually feels.

* * *

"Elijah?" Finn has to wonder if his younger brother is paying attention to him. Elijah opens his mouth and closes it.

"Elena kissed me. In the past," Finn will understand what he's trying to say, but he can almost feel her lips against his in the slightly grainy human memory.

"Excuse me. My apologies, Finn," Elijah says and Finn waves him off. He hasn't been getting as many new memories of Elena as the others, Rebekah seems to have almost as many as Elijah does.


	8. Full Moon

"We should probably walk back to the village now," Elena says, and he nods. They've picked as many herbs as Ayanna needs, slightly more because they've both been trying to think of what they should say in the silence.

"Right," Elijah confirms and he notices that he's not the only one moving more slowly than usual. A plan is forming in his mind but he'll have to be good with planning. They part ways when they reach the village, a slight blush on Elena's face.

* * *

"We will have to be in the caves tomorrow night. I think you already know this, but the men who turn into wolves cannot control their transformation when there is a full moon," Ayanna says.

"I knew that," Elena confirms unnecessarily.

"I'd ask about your knowledge if I did not fear the outcome of it. Keep your secrets and the future to yourself," Ayanna advises and Elena nods.

* * *

"Hello Niklaus," Elena says and he looks up from his knife and the block of wood he's working on. Elijah told her Klaus is gifted at woodcarving, but it's too early to tell what the shape is.

"You're looking for Elijah or Rebekah aren't you?" He asks and she shrugs.

"I wouldn't mind keeping you company either," Elena knows he killed her once, he kills her in the future. But this Klaus is human and she can't judge him for future sins. He's maybe a few years older than she is right now and she wouldn't mind seeing what he's up to.

"As long as you aren't distracting," He says finally and she nods, watching slivers of pale wood fall to the ground before she sits next to him. It's a wooden bird in flight when Elijah and Rebekah find them a few hours later. At least, Elena thinks it's been a few hours. It's hard to tell time. It's just day and night now.

"We should be preparing to spend the night in the caves," Elijah reminds them, and Klaus shrugs.

"I am already prepared, 'Lijah," Klaus says and he watches Elijah's eyes move to Elena. Elijah has been interested in few women, and he didn't look at them like he looks at Elena.

"Ayanna and I prepared last night," Elena says and Rebekah sighs.

"Then you can help me," Rebekah says, and pulls Elena by the hand. They don't see Klaus and Elijah look at the two girls leave or the words that come after they leave.

* * *

She's been in these caves before, but not with so many people.

"Never leave the caves when there's a full moon. Easy way to get torn to pieces," Mikael advises and Elena nods. Klaus rolls his eyes but Mikael doesn't see, and Elena feels more out of place than she has before. This isn't where she should be, and Rebekah notices the look on her face. Klaus and Henrik will leave and Henrik will die, someday in the future.

"We'll be safe. I promise," Rebekah says and Elena makes an effort to look happier.

"Thank you," Elena says.


	9. Shift

Elena is there for one more month, not that anyone else calls it that. Elijah kissed her once, but they haven't kissed since. Both Elijahs are confusing apparently, this Elijah isn't any less confusing than the one from her time. They've spent time together but they've only held hands. The Elijah that's standing next to her seems more hers than the one she left in the future. Elena wonders what'll happen when the Elijah of her time remembers that kiss.

"Nervous?" Elijah wonders and she shakes her head.

"Something feels wrong. Like something might happen tonight," She hopes Nik and Henrik will stay in the caves tonight, and that night won't happen for a long time. Tatia isn't around, it must be later in the future, after she leaves.

"Nothing will happen to you, I promise," Elijah says and she smiles at him before he offers his hand to help her into the caves.

He doesn't know that when his mother slips out in the night, he won't see Elena the next day. None of them will even remember her when they wake.


	10. Truth, about 1012

He's reading, the castle is quiet for once in the early hour of the morning. Elijah sees a woman appear in the room, and blinks.

"Elena," He breathes, the memories return to him like a rushed tide. She's wearing the dress she wore the day they he saw her last. She looks unchanged, and she opens her eyes and blinks at him. His mother must have done something, the day she was supposed to give Elena her memories back, Elena disappeared and so did his memories of her.

"Elijah," She says, glad to see him again. It still means she's not closer to returning to her family though, and she takes in the changes in Elijah that she can see. His hair is pulled back, and the clothes have changed slightly. He looks like the age of her Elijah, the one of her time. No version of Elijah is hers, she reminds herself. This one though, he kissed her once. He must be a vampire now.

"You look the same," He breathes, and remembers that she came before Tatia, she looks exactly like Tatia. Perhaps Tatia looked like her, since he met Elena first. Elijah wonders if Esther sent her to the future, if Elena ever reunited with her family.

"You're older but not much older. You're a vampire," Elena guesses. It's time to lay all of her cards on the table and come clean to Elijah, he's not human anymore. His eyes flash with suspicion and he seems colder as he looks at her. He's not the human Elijah she knew briefly but he's not like the Elijah she first met either.

"How do you know that? Why are you here?" He presses, there's still a safe amount of space between them. Space and safety are illusions around vampires though, Elena has no doubt he could easily kill her in seconds if he wanted.

"I'm from the future. I know you in the future. I was sent to the past with magic. So I was trying to get back to my family, but the distance is time, not a week's travel. Your mother tried to send me back to my time and she failed, but she put a spell on me so whenever I leave a time period, no one remembers me until I go to the next one or something. I didn't hear her explain all of it," Elena explains in a rush and he still looks at her like she's a stranger.

"You can hear my heartbeat. You once told me you could tell if I was lying or not by my heartbeat. Listen to it. I'm not lying to you. _Please_ , Elijah," Elena says quietly. Elijah stills completely and she holds her breath.

"I wanted to marry you," Elijah admits to her in the silence. There's no accusation there, his voice is almost toneless. This Elijah hasn't quite mastered it like the one from her time has though. If she's not mistaken, that little edge in his voice sounds like longing, or maybe even love and it pulls at her heart.

"And if I was born when you were human, I would have liked that," She confesses, and tells herself she says it because this Elijah is paying attention to if she lies or not. There's a little pressure off her, and she exhales.

"Are you Tatia's sister? Are you related?" He wonders and Elena shakes her head.

"Your mother made a loophole to break Klaus's curse. Every so often, a doppelganger is born. I'm Tatia's doppelganger and I'm related to her, but she's not my sister," Elena informs him and sits on the bed in the room. The wooden chair looks uncomfortable from what she can see in the candlelight.

"What am I like in your time?" Elijah wonders and she bites her lip. Technically too much information could be harmful, so she tries to be vague.

"The other you, the one of my time is strong. He's fierce and he's funny and he's-complicated," Elena tells him and he looks intrigued as he sits next to her on the bed. The mattress reminds Elena how much she misses her own.

"Your Elijah-what's your relationship with him?" He wonders and she notices his wording.

"It's-he's complicated. He didn't show any interest in me, not like you did. Or if my Elijah was or is interested, I didn't really know he was," Elena is trying to be careful but she might need to slow down on the amount of information. It's odd to claim the Elijah from the future is hers, this one has more interest. Her Elijah is also easier to be around though, he understands her references and humor. That might just be the time though.

"I can't imagine not having any interest in you. Your Elijah must hide it well," He says honestly. Elena flushes with color and surprise.

"Are your siblings here?' She wonders, changing the subject. He nods.

"Rebekah's just across the hall," Elijah says and she disappears out of his sight.

* * *

He apparently didn't show enough interest in Elena. If she'd get her time traveling self back to their time, he'd fix that. He thought she was interested in the Salvatores, but their kiss proved otherwise. He wonders what his past self will do. Elena is his soulmate if Bonnie did the spell correctly. Soulmate, he thinks. He wonders if Elena believes it more than he does.


	11. Observant Elijah

AN: Fun fact, this has been in the works since September 30 2016. Sigh.

* * *

Breakfast is nice until Finn opens his mouth. Elena can't blame him for his questions, she's surprised the others haven't asked them yet.

"You're from the future. You know us then," He says, but the tone is too sharp to be kind.

"You could have changed things. You could have saved Henrik. You could have saved us from being like this," He gestures to himself with disgust in his voice and Elena shakes her head.

"If I had done that, I wouldn't exist. Thousands of people wouldn't exist in the future. If I changed the future like that, I don't think I'd have a future to go back to. I was told by your mother and Ayanna that I couldn't change anything drastically, being here is already bad enough. But, taking or saving a life would be something else entirely, according to them. I wanted to save him. I wanted to save you all from becoming this. I wanted to tell you so badly," Elena confesses and Rebekah bites her lip. They can all hear her heartbeat, Elena is telling the truth.

"How far in the future do we meet you?" Klaus wonders, she's Tatia's doppelganger, and it's hard to see Elena like that. Elena is the girl they all thought Elijah would marry, they viewed her as their future sister-in-law.

"I'm not supposed to say," Elena says again, heartbeat speeding up.

"What are you supposed to say then?" Finn wonders coldly.

"That's enough, Finn," Elijah says sharply and Elena hates this, she doesn't want to turn the siblings against each other.

"It's not nearly enough. She has answers, she knows the future," Finn retorts and Kol shakes his head. Rebekah and Klaus look at each other, and Elena hates this position, she wants to go home.

"If we know the future, we might try to avoid it and mess the future up. Or end up having it turn out the same way anyway," Kol counters and Elena tries to relax.

"So none of you can keep a record that I'm here. When I get back to my time period, there can't be any mention of me in the past," Elena reminds them.

* * *

"I'm sorry about Finn earlier," Elijah says, not too close but not too far away. Elena pulls at her sleeve before she makes herself look up at him.

"I'm sorry I can't give you answers. I know you must want them, but I can't risk it," Elena offers and he smiles ruefully.

"Can I ask one question about it?" He inquires and she exhales slowly.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to answer it, but you can ask," Elena says and gives him a small smile. It's so easy to slip into being comfortable around Elijah, but she can't do that now. He's not the Elijah she knows, not the one of her time, she tells herself.

"Will you always be in my future?" He wonders. Elena knows what he's asking, if she'll be in his future after they meet, and after that.

"I don't know. But I've known my Elijah for a few years before _this_ happened," Elena answers and he nods thoughtfully.

"And you're worried that you might be causing feelings in _your_ Elijah because of your actions with me. Feelings that you think he wouldn't already have for you," Elijah says and she nods and sighs. He moves at a human speed, closer to her and she watches.

"My feelings are his. I am still him, and I am still in the Elijah you know in the future. My feelings for you are not related to Tatia, and they are my own," He says, and Elena feels relief, because curiosity had been creeping in. The Elijah she knows might actually like her too, if she has enough time to look back at some of their interactions but this Elijah's too close for her to think.

"Elena," Elijah moves a foot closer.

"May I kiss you?" He asks and she nods and closes her eyes.


	12. Time Change

She's not close to coming home, and Mystic Falls is growing antsy without her. Elijah is growing antsy without her, she's been careful with interacting with him in the past, so sure he didn't want her. The story until she gets back is that she's off exploring Europe. Elijah wishes she was exploring Europe, he could find her then.

Elena has spent six weeks with his siblings as new vampires. Thankfully, they're not new enough that she's in danger from them, but Elijah's still uneasy about it. Elena fits into their routine, just as easily as she did before, but sometimes she looks at him with looks his past self can't decipher. The Elijah of the present knows that the looks mean, eventually things will be harder. She needs to come home before she gets stuck in a time period that's too dangerous for her.

* * *

"Something is wrong. It's-" Elena shakes her head. She feels odd, like the last night she saw the Mikaelsons when they were human. Elijah's hand finds hers, squeezing reassuringly. His hand is empty a few moments later, and the only Petrova he remembers is Tatia.


	13. Italy, 1110

"Elena," The accent has changed but the voice is familiar.

"Elijah," When she opens her eyes, she takes in the subtle changes. The clothing is different, Elijah's hair is shorter.

"It's been a long time," He says and helps her up. They're in a bedroom, and Elijah is smiling at her.

"How long?" Elena wonders as they stay close, Elijah hasn't let go of her arms, but his hands are moving to hers. Elena laces her fingers with his.

"About a century," Elijah answers and she nods, she can deal with that.

"Who's here with you?" The house is not quiet enough for her to think they're alone. The topic makes Elijah look a little more solemn, a little less excited.

"Kol is in the east, it is just Rebekah, Niklaus, Finn and I at the moment," Elijah answers. That will change, Kol will come back, Elena thinks to herself. Elijah looks at her with such transparency, it's odd to see still. He leans in like he might kiss her, and Elena almost closes her eyes.

"Elena!" The door is open and Rebekah is hugging her tightly. Elena's like the sister she never had, and she's back. Rebekah ignores the look on Elijah's face.

"You're still wearing the dress from the last time we saw you," Rebekah notes.

"I was just there. It feels like no time's passed for me," Elena explains and Rebekah nods.

"Let's get you into a proper dress," Rebekah says and lets her go. Elijah opens his mouth and Rebekah shakes her head.

"You're always with Elena. My turn," His sister says and disappears with her.

* * *

"There is a vampire hunter with us. Alexander. I know you only have eyes for Elijah, but he's rather handsome," Rebekah adjusts Elena's position so she can work on her hair. Elena freezes, and Rebekah can hear her heart pound in her chest.

"Do you know something?" Rebekah moves to face her, and Elena shakes her head no, truthfully. The Elijah of her time didn't tell her anything about this time period or very much personal history outside of his interactions with Tatia and Katherine and the beginning of vampires and the effects of that.

"The idea of a hunter being so close to you all, it worries me," Elena admits and Rebekah's face softens.

"We will be fine, Elena," Rebekah smiles at her and worry fills Elena's stomach. If the hunter is who she thinks he might be, she'll be dead. Unlike the Mikaelsons, she can't survive a dagger in the heart.

* * *

"You're going to wear down the carpet if you keep pacing like that, 'Lijah," Klaus says as he carefully sketches, almost perfectly still on the couch.

"Elena could die there. They're going to kill her," Elijah shakes his head, and it strikes Kol that he's never seen Elijah so intense about a girl before. Then again, Elena isn't just any girl. Kol is sure she'll be fine, and voices that.

"Oh come on. Elena will be fine. She stabbed you and Bekah and told Nik to go to hell before he killed her. Your girl's gonna be fine," Kol says and Elijah considers his words for a moment before he pours himself a drink.

* * *

"Elijah. Promise me, you will keep an eye on the hunter," Elena says, that night. The first night is always odd, adjusting to the changes in the people and world around her. Each time she gets closer to the future, the more she misses it. There's not very much light, they're just burning candles-but the Mikaelsons probably don't need much light or any to see.

"You're worried," It's not a question and she nods. This Elijah isn't like the one of the future, he's still not guarded enough to be. Elijah has a lot more heartbreak and years to go through before she can fully see him as the Elijah she first met.

"Elena, we're the strongest people on the planet. Nothing can hope to kill us," Elijah says and she closes her eyes.

"That doesn't mean you can't be _harmed_. Give me your word," Elena's voice is so desperate and firm, he looks into her eyes. This Elijah can't be that different than hers, she needs him to give her his word. Elijah has to know what that means.

"I will keep an eye on the hunter, I give you my word," Elijah promises.

"Thank you," Elena says, and kisses him on the cheek before she goes to her own room to sleep. Elena thinks that at least, the hunter is not with them, he's in his own home. They're safe, Elena thinks. At least for the night, they're safe from the hunter.


	14. Not Just Alexander

A few weeks pass with the same anxious feeling in her stomach. Rebekah tells her all about local gossip-Elena has to remember what's considered scandalous in this time is so different from hers. Klaus allows her to advise him and watch him create art sometimes, it's nice to get another perspective on what he's doing. There are times they talk constantly and there are times they barely speak, Klaus gets caught in his own work. Finn ignores her and Elena can't blame him. Elijah takes up as much time as he can before Klaus or Rebekah try to claim her free time. They talk but it's still limited, and sometimes, they kiss. It's still odd to see him with long hair but she can't tell him that. Elena watches Rebekah and Alexander with growing anxiety as time passes.

* * *

Elena knows with absolute certainty when she has to hide, something feels wrong to her. That instinct hasn't led her wrong so far.

"The hunter is here," Elena whispers loudly enough that she knows the Mikaelsons will hear her. She manages to hide in her massive armoire behind the large amounts of dresses, scared to breathe, to move until someone comes to get her. There is noise, but no one opens the armoire for what seems like an eternity.

There are voices, and then there are screams. Elena tries to make as little sound as possible, but the doors are flung open, the dresses are moving to reveal her. It's not a hunter, it's just Nik.

"Nik," She breathes a sigh of relief, despite the fact he's covered in blood. He doesn't respond.

"Oh thank god, Nik," She says, hoping to get a response from him and he stares at her for a moment.

"You told Elijah to keep an eye on the hunter, you knew. You knew this would happen," He accuses with cold eyes. Fear hits her system.

"I was worried because he was a hunter. You're the only one who the daggers don't work on, I knew that even if he daggered you, he still wouldn't be able to kill you. I didn't know when or where or how, but the Rebekah of my time mentioned once that a hunter almost killed all of you. And I was right to be worried," Elena says, and his eyes meet hers. Elena doesn't move a muscle.

"There were _five_ hunters. Not just Alexander. And I killed them _all_ ," Nik tells her, and Elena wonders how Rebekah is faring. Rebekah had spent the last few weeks working on her relationship with Alexander.

"What all do you know? What happens after this? Why did Rebekah tell you about that?" Nik isn't Nik anymore, he's like the Klaus she knows in the future. The difference is startling.

"It might mess up the future," Elena says instead of answering.

"Elena," They both hear Elijah say, and he looks like he did when she undaggered him, unsteady and grey. Klaus moves away from the armoire, and lets Elena step out of it.

"You all need blood," Elena says, uncomfortably. Nik and Elijah were just undaggered, they don't look quite themselves yet.

"Are you offering, love?" Nik is back, she can still recognize him from his human days underneath.

"No, she is not," Elijah speaks for her and he catches her look of relief. Usually Elena doesn't want anyone speaking over or for her, but she agrees with Elijah on this.

"We will get blood elsewhere, lovely Elena," Elijah assures her and she smiles at the last two words. Some things stayed the same, at least.

"How's Rebekah?" Elena wonders.

"Well considering that we all almost died because of her-" Klaus begins.

"Stop it," Elijah interrupts, and Elena wants to be anywhere else. They're fighting again, it makes her wonder how the Mikaelsons of her time are doing.

"At least Kol wasn't here. And we're leaving Finn daggered," Klaus says and Elijah's eyes dart to Elena's. It's what's supposed to happen, he gathers from her reaction.

That night, she sleeps next to Elijah. It could have been worse, but it could have been better, and being next to Elijah is the safest place she can be. She'll be gone in two mornings, but he still uses all of the time he can to show how different things are from the last time she stayed with them. And to kiss her a few times, but he won't admit that.

* * *

The last night she spends in Italy, she knows her time with this Elijah is limited. They're sprawled on his bed and she moves her head to look at him. Her heartbeat speeds up and he looks over at her with curious eyes. She'd slipped into his room to sleep next to him a while ago, but something has changed.

"I love you," She says suddenly and he smiles like her Elijah does, but it's unguarded.

"I love you too," Elijah says and she's never seen him look so happy. He doesn't move to kiss her, she's close to sleep, even if she doesn't know that. Something tells her she'll be gone before he wakes up, so she scoots closer to him and wonder what the Elijah of her time thinks. Elijah pulls her closer before his eyes begin to close too. He knows he doesn't get to keep her yet, they haven't reached the time they meet yet.


	15. England, 1490

AN: I know you've all noticed, but I don't really want to have the doppelgangers interact with each other in this. Also, long update for you all, will be updating again soon! I love all of your reviews!

* * *

"Wake up, Elena," A few voices are overlapping and she opens her eyes.

"You all look so-" Elena trails off. Elijah, Klaus and Rebekah stare at her curiously, wondering if she'll continue her sentence.

"Different," Elena catches herself, she can't reveal too much about the future.

"What year is it?" She wonders and Elijah smiles at her as they help her up.

"1490," He answers and she looks at the siblings with surprise. She's arrived before Katherine, like she arrived before Tatia. Interesting.

"Your dress looks so-ancient," Rebekah speaks with a slight accent and Elena laughs.

"And how old are you? You three could all be called ancient too, you know," Elena says and Elijah chuckles at that. His smile gives her butterflies.

"Ah, but we don't look it. Your dress is out of style," Klaus is grinning, it's nice to see them all happy.

"Let's go find you a dress," Rebekah says, and Elijah knows he will see Elena later, so he lets it go. But the last time she saw him, she told him she loved him. It's been barely any time for her, but he's aware of how emotionless he and Klaus have becoming. Elena reminds them of their human days, and he can see how it settles with Klaus and Rebekah. If he's being honest, it makes him a little uncomfortable as well, things have changed since their human days.

"Elijah-" Klaus turns to look at him as Rebekah walks away with Elena.

"I love her," Elijah confesses it like it's a secret. It isn't. Klaus has been looking for a doppelganger, and he wants to break his curse, Elijah can tell what he's thinking.

"I wasn't going to suggest killing Elena," Klaus says, and Elijah knows Klaus might be fond of Elena, but she visits once a century or so. Eventually, Klaus might try to use Elena to break his curse.

"I mean it. She-" Klaus trails off, reluctant to voice his thoughts.

"I love her. She loves me. If you ever harmed her I would-" Elijah begins but Klaus interrupts.

"Elena makes you happy. She makes Bekah smile. She's part of this family, regardless if anyone likes it or not," Klaus says. He can remember Elena helping him braid his hair, watching him carve animals out of wood, and how she was in their human days. Elena made Finn crack a smile and Henrik laugh. Kol didn't admit it but he spent a lot of time with her too. Not to mention Elijah would try and kill him over Elena's demise, or at least seriously maim him, Klaus knows. Elijah would be first in line, but his other siblings would be quick to follow. Hurting Elena would be a very, very bad idea.

* * *

"This time suits you," Elijah compliments as Elena reappears with Rebekah. Elena laughs, and Rebekah looks as confused as he does.

"Did I say something humorous?" Elijah wonders and Elena finishes laughing.

"You'll understand it later. Another day. I am not laughing at you," Elena explains and Rebekah and Elijah take that in.

"You should see the gardens," Elijah tells her and grins.

"Are you going to give me a tour?" Elena wonders.

"I might," Elijah says and Rebekah walks away. She loves Elijah and Elena, but she has other things to do. Elijah looks happy when he's with Elena, Rebekah hopes it stays that way.

"This isn't your time, is it?" Elijah asks, a hint of hope in his voice and Elena shakes her head. Elijah sighs.

"I want you to stay. But when you leave I don't remember until you return. That hardly seems fair. How am I supposed to miss you?" Elijah wonders.

"You're not supposed to miss me. I'm technically not supposed to be here. And if I could stay here, it would change things. I'd die human in this time period before I was ever born," Elena reminds him.

"Have you thought of becoming a vampire?" Elijah inquires as they look at the flowers blooming. Elena gently touches a flower, fascinated. She's touching the past, and has been living in it, but sometimes it still gets her. Elena doesn't answer for a moment and he worries he's offended her.

"I have. But I always thought I'd end up with a human man, have children. Grow old," Elena sounds wistful and looks far away. Elijah moves away from her, unsure of what she's implying.

"But you and I-" She can't tell him they're soulmates. Elijah has enough to deal with and she doesn't want him to take it as confirmation they'll always be together.

"I love you. And the Elijah of my time would be better to talk to about this. But even though I had that whole mess with Stefan and Damon, I think part of me always thought I'd stay human. Ensure that the P-" Elena catches herself. She can't mention the future of the Petrova line, better to be safe than sorry. Even if this Elijah loves her, she can't talk to him like the Elijah of her time.

"But would you ever turn?" Elijah presses gently as Elena begins to walk.

"I'm not sure," Elena admits aloud.

"You don't have to know. I was merely curious," Elijah says and she nods. He's quieter as he shows her the gardens, but when her hand reaches for his, he gives it. Klaus will let others know that Elena is not to be harmed, things will work out.

* * *

Elena is whisked away by Rebekah and Klaus, they're planning something from what Elijah gathered. Elijah is left to his thoughts. Elena loves him but worries about the version of him in the future that she'll return to. Things have been too serious lately, he wants to make her laugh and see her smile.

* * *

"Okay, so this is how I was supposed to say it?" Bonnie hands Elijah the page she spent the last few minutes working on. It's still odd to have the Mikaelsons miss Elena, the entire situation is bizarre.

"Yes," He confirms and she looks at him.

"Do you mind if I-" Bonnie trails off. Elijah raises an eyebrow.

"Hey Klaus we need a guinea pig!" Caroline says and he appears in the doorway.

"For what?" Klaus inquires.

"To test this soulmate spell," Bonnie says and Klaus looks to Elijah.

"She has the words correct. It's harmless," Elijah promises.

Klaus sighs before he lets Bonnie set candles up in his living room.

"Wait, if it sends Klaus back in time, he could mess things up. Use me," Caroline says and she can feel Klaus's eyes on her.

"I didn't know you cared so much, love," Klaus smirks and Caroline rolls her eyes as she sits in the circle. Bonnie begins to chant and Caroline closes her eyes, fingers crossed that she doesn't end up in the past. Or worse, the future, Caroline thinks and something wet touches her arm.

"You can open your eyes," Bonnie says, she was worried there might be a flash of light like last time, but nothing. Bonnie looks at the name on Caroline's arm the same time she does. Niklaus Mikaelson is the name on Caroline's wrist.

"So you're-I'm your soulmate. You're my soulmate," Caroline looks up at Klaus as Bonnie puts the candles out.

"Bonnie, do you by chance need any assistance?" Elijah asks and Bonnie nods, eager to leave the room like Elijah.


	16. England still

"I don't know if I can dance like what Rebekah described," Elena admits.

"Elijah won't let you out of his sight and he's an excellent dancer. You'll be fine," Klaus promises and Elena smiles nervously.

* * *

"Since your siblings can probably hear us and I haven't eaten breakfast, do you want to grab coffee?" Caroline asks and Klaus makes a noise of agreement, his name is still on her wrist.

* * *

"Elijah, do you mind if I tell you something you need to ignore?" Elena asks carefully as they dance.

"Is it for him?" Elijah asks, putting emphasis on the last word. They really need a better way to communicate she's talking about the Elijah of her time but there are too many people who might be listening.

"Yes. Tell everyone I'm fine and that I love them," Elena says and remembers the steps to keep moving.

"I believe Niklaus said you are my wife, to save us the trouble of being entirely proper. I hope that doesn't offend you in any way," Elijah murmurs and Elena shakes her head. It makes sense to her, she remembers reading about how much effort used to go into relationships before people could even get married from her history textbooks.

"Did I tell you that you look lovely in that dress?" Elijah asks and Elena smiles as they move, she's careful to keep up and not step on his feet.

"You did," Elena informs him and he looks so happy as he looks at her, she wonders what her Elijah would look like, if he still knows how to smile like that. They could talk more, but they don't need to say much as they keep dancing, Elena wonders if the Elijah of her time knows other dances, if he'll pass the message on.

* * *

"Elena told me to tell you she's fine," Elijah says and Alaric and Jeremy nod, taking the information in.

"Where is she?" Alaric asks.

"1490," Elijah says and Alaric sighs at him, at this whole mess. The only memories he has of Elena in the past go up to that point, so there must be some equivalent, but he doesn't want to calculate it, it's hard enough handing two sets of experiences at once.

"So King Henry VII, right?" Jeremy asks. Alaric smiles at that.

"Yup, three years after the Wars of the Roses, if I have the dates right," Alaric confirms.

"You do," Elijah says. Maybe someday, he'll ask Elijah or Elena what living in the past was like, but Elijah's phone beeps and he's leaving. Another time, then.

* * *

"You're supposed to catch me!" Elena informs Elijah as she runs away.

"If I do that then the game will be over," Elijah reminds her and she laughs.

"Perhaps I should ask Nik or Bekah to catch me then!" Elena says, looking over her shoulder, running with a heavy blue dress on wasn't the plan, but she's doing it anyway. Elijah laughs a few yards away and she shrieks as he picks her up off the ground by a few inches.

"I can catch you," Elijah assures her and Elena giggles into his shoulder.

"What about in hide and seek?" she asks. Elijah sets her down and the look he gives her butterflies, even after everything.


	17. New Orleans, 1830

AN: I'm skipping Elijah's love interests and there's about five chapters left. Writer's block had me not updating for a while, I know this one is short, the others will be longer.

* * *

"I think tonight's the last night I'll be here," Elena tells him and he looks up.

"I'll miss you," Elijah says and Elena smiles as she sits next to him.

"No, you won't," she reminds him. Elena wonders if she'll miss his long hair as she looks at him.

"I wish I could remember you so I could miss you," Elijah sighs.

"Back again before you know it," she promises and settles into him, closing her eyes, candlelight isn't bright enough to keep her awake.

* * *

Elena wakes up startled, in a bed that tells her she's still in the past. Elena misses her own mattress and comforter, the little comfort of her time. The room is lovely and she can hear music as she moves the covers off her. The door is open and closed in seconds and she stays still before she recognizes Elijah. He's warm as he hugs her, short hair closer to the Elijah of her time. Elena closes her eyes for a moment. He looks like he belongs in a painting.

"Where are we?" Elena asks and he smiles.

"New Orleans, 1830," Elijah tells her. Jackson's president if she remembers correctly, she's trying to remember what she knows about this era.

"Who's here?" Elena asks.

"Niklaus, Rebekah, and Marcel. Kol and Finn are daggered," Elijah says, he looks far away for a moment.

"I've always wanted to visit New Orleans. I thought I'd be visiting in my time, but this is good too," Elena says and he looks at her with warm eyes.

"I love you," he says and she kisses him. The door opens with noise and she turns her head to look. Elena can feel him take a breath, but Rebekah hugs her too.

"Elena! We're having a party tonight, let's get you settled in," Rebekah says and squeezes her tightly.

"I love you too," Elena says as Rebekah pulls her away. A smile tugs at his lips before Elena sees Klaus appear to talk to him. Vampire speed's never going to be normal and Elena hopes she isn't going to be shoved into a corset again. She should probably ask who Marcel is, but she knows they'll catch her up to speed.

* * *

"Breakfast? You actually want to see me before coffee?" Caroline asks with a raised eyebrow. Klaus gives her an amused look.

"Yes. Why is that so surprising?" Klaus asks. It's so odd to be this open. Before this there was interest and there were looks but there was denial. She can't deny he's her soulmate and forever is a long time. Caroline sighs. It's just breakfast.

"I don't know. I mean Elena hates you," Caroline sighs. She remembers how much Elena cried over some of the things he had done to her, to all of them. Caroline's a little wary. Klaus laughs.

"Elena's basically my sister-in-law at this point, love. Living with us in the past has changed her opinion on us greatly," Klaus says and realizes that Elena's changed them too. Caroline raises an eyebrow.

"Where is she? I mean when," Caroline corrects herself.

"1830, with us in New Orleans, is that a yes to breakfast?" Klaus wonders.

"Take me to a place that has good crepes," Caroline requests. Klaus grins and Caroline doesn't ignore the butterflies in her stomach like she used to. She smiles back.


	18. Chapter 18

"Who's Marcel?" Elena asks and Rebekah grins at her. The look in her eyes tells Elena she's in love and Elena's heart breaks.

"Hold still and I'll tell you everything," Rebekah says and works on getting Elena's hair into a braid.

* * *

"You're not seriously trying to tell me you met all those people," Caroline says and Klaus laughs.

"I did. Perks of being what we are," Klaus says and Caroline takes a sip of her coffee. Klaus is relaxed, she can tell by how he sits, how easily he smiles.

"Is Elena still in New Orleans?" Caroline asks. Klaus nods, and Caroline sighs.

"I've never been out of Mystic Falls. I'm not sure where I'd start if I did leave. I mean I'll have to leave eventually, but there's so much to see," Caroline says and Klaus takes a sip of his coffee.

"I could show you the world. Anything you want. Anywhere you want," Klaus offers.

"After we get Elena back," Caroline says and Klaus nods. Human food doesn't hold quite the appeal it used to hold for him, but Caroline's enjoying her crepes. It smells like warm maple syrup, cooked bacon and butter in the air, he can almost taste it.

"Of course. And if you want her to come along, I wouldn't be opposed to that," Klaus says and Caroline raises an eyebrow. It's still odd to think Elena likes him, that things have changed.

* * *

"So she's your wife?" Marcel raises and eyebrow and Elena does her best to hide her smile.

"Essentially. I'm hers and she's mine. Elena's been part of our family for centuries," Elijah says vaguely and Elena takes in Marcel's confused look.

"Then why have none of you mentioned her before? And how has she lived that long if she's human?" Marcel asks.

"Magic. They don't remember me when I leave, only remember me when I'm here. A witch put a spell on me and I've ended up at random times in their lives," Elena explains and Marcel takes that in for a moment.

"Can you fence?" Marcel asks and Elena shakes her head.

"You might be able to win finally," Rebekah teases.

"Later. The party will begin soon," Klaus says.


	19. Chapter 19

It's so odd to know that they're not that far away from the Civil War.

"I think each trip gets shorter and shorter," Elena says and Elijah nods.

"I think you're right. Of course because you won't let me write about you, I don't have a good timeline to know," Elijah says but she knows he teasing her. Elijah seems so lighthearted now, Elena wonders how long it'll last, what happens to Marcel. She's never heard any of them mention him, and if Rebekah likes him-he might be dead.

"You know you can't. You can't remember me until I'm back. Otherwise the timeline would change," Elena reminds him.

"I know," Elijah says and kisses the grin on her lips.

* * *

"Marcel called," Elijah says.

"He wants to know why he suddenly has memories of Elena, then?" Klaus asks.

"Indeed," Elijah tells him.

"I'll give him a call," Klaus says.

* * *

"Careful," Rebekah says and Elena laughs. It's just fencing and Marcel's already beaten her a few times.

"Take a break, Elijah and I will show you two how it's done," Klaus says and Elijah winks at Elena.

"They're just show-offs," Rebekah says. Marcel and Elena stand next to her to watch them anyway. Most of it's almost too fast for human eyes to quite catch, Elijah wins the first round. Klaus manages to win the second round, and they go a few more rounds with clashing metal and quick steps. Elena looks to Rebekah and then Marcel and wishes she could change things, not for the first time she's been stuck in the past. She'll know soon, the uneasy feeling she gets before she changes time periods appears in her stomach.

"Elena?" Elijah stops to look at her.

"I'm fine. I think it's my last night here," Elena says and Rebekah frowns at that.

"I wish you could answer our questions. I wish you could tell us about the future," Rebekah sighs and Elena nods.

"Me too," Elena admits.


	20. 1919

AN: So this is set specifically after the Papa Tunde incident and before the "let's summon Mikael" mess although I know that's not long, let's pretend it is.

* * *

"Elena," Rebekah says and Elena looks up to see Elijah, Marcel, Rebekah, and Klaus. It's not the time period she just left, the clothes are too different.

"Are we in the twenties?" Elena asks and Elijah offers a hand to help her get off the couch she's on. She accepts it and Rebekah shakes her head.

"1919. The war just ended," Rebekah says. Elena almost asks if she means World War I but that would tell them there's more than one.

"I think I have something in blue you'll like," Rebekah says and Elena squeezes Elijah's hand before she lets go of it to follow Rebekah.

* * *

"Is Marcel a vampire now?" Elena asks. Rebekah pauses as she looks at lipstick, Elena catches the look on her face in the mirror.

"Nik gave Marcel the option-he had to pick between me and becoming a vampire. I think you know what happened from there," Rebekah says and picks a lipstick color. Rebekah talks about everything else under the sun, a recent enemy Klaus killed, local gossip, how to do her hair this decade and how Klaus and Elijah have been.

"Hold still," Rebekah instructs and Elena does, even as there's a gentle knock at the door.

"Come in, Elijah," Rebekah says, even as she adjusts a few details on Elena. Elena wonders if she just likes dressing Elena up because she didn't have a younger sister or if it's affection. Either way, Elena wraps an arm around her and hugs Rebekah.

"Thank you," Elena says and Rebekah smiles.


	21. Still 1919 New Orleans

AN: Wrapping this up in a few chapters, but I've been careful to pick times where Elijah doesn't have a love interest and where they wouldn't interact with other TVD characters like Stefan who they meet later in the twenties, Katherine, etc. Also it doesn't look like it but I did do research, milkshakes were around in this time period.

* * *

"May I have this dance?" he asks and Elena nods, takes his hand.

"We don't dance like that where I'm from. We might have to start slow," Elena warns. Elijah tells her he doesn't mind.

"So much has changed," Elena says quietly as they walk to an empty spot in the crowd of dancers, away from the music.

"What are you referring to? New Orleans or our family?" Elijah asks. Elena freezes and looks at him.

"Our?" Elena questions softly and Elijah realizes what caused that reaction. It's rare to see Elijah look so unsure, but they stop dancing anyway.

"We've been together for some time now. I just assumed-" Elijah begins to apologize and Elena shakes her head.

"I was just surprised. Should I be worried? Your brother has a habit of killing people you and Bekah love," Elena says and Elijah relaxes.

"Niklaus loves you too. No harm will ever come to you. I swear it," Elijah says and Elena moves with him, slow steps to the upbeat song playing.

"Do you think Rebekah will ever forgive Marcel? They loved each other once," Elena says. Elijah doesn't speak for a few steps.

"They did. Once. Rebekah holds grudges. And as you know, she can keep them for a very _long_ time. I'm not sure if she will or when she will," Elijah says and Elena sighs.

"They aren't expecting us to be home until it's dark. Are you hungry?" Elijah asks and Elena almost misses a step.

"I'd love that. After a few dances. I think I'm starting to get this," Elena says.

* * *

The city is different, but still the same underneath. Elena wonders if what she feels looking at it is what vampires feel. The world changes and moves on. It's hard not telling them that Prohibition will ruin some of their traditions, they have wine with dinner one night and champagne the next. Marcel shows her where the best milkshakes in town are with Klaus, Rebekah takes her shopping, and Elijah teaches her to dance the night away like a real flapper. There's still tension, but it's ignored. Rebekah is perhaps, a little more observant than before-she notices when Elena and Marcel disappear to talk. Elijah and Klaus debate potential enemies and the future.

"I think this will be my last stop before home," Elena says on the last night, they're having dinner at a restaurant Marcel picked and Rebekah leans forward.

"How far away is home?" Rebekah asks and Elena rolls her eyes.

"You know I can't tell you that. It could change things," Elena reminds her and Klaus sighs.

"You've already changed things by being here with us," Marcel says.

"But you'll forget and nothing has been significantly altered. Hopefully," Elena says and Elijah shoots her a curious look.

"But being with us means you've changed the future in some capacity," Klaus notes. Elena takes a sip of wine.

"I won't know how much this has changed things until I get back home. And I think that might be leaving tonight," Elena says. Rebekah frowns.

"I'd say we'll miss you-" Rebekah begins.

"But you won't remember me," Elena finishes.

* * *

Elijah kisses her when they're home, long and sweet.

"I love you. A few years won't change that. I hope things work out in your time, and that we'll be in New Orleans again. Or anywhere you want to go. I'll show you the world if you want," Elijah says. Elena reads between the lines, _just not right now_. Elijah can read her well, she hasn't mentioned her concerns for the future in a while. Another reason she loves him.

"I love you too. And I'll see you soon," Elena promises.


	22. New York City 2009

AN: So while I planned out the different times I wanted Elena to visit, this was one of the first chapters I wrote for this. But I also got hit with feelings and so I revised and worked on it for a few days. Sorry I haven't updated, I had finals this week and I'll be back to updating often!

* * *

She wakes up in a room that looks like her time, electricity and someone's phone on the nightstand next to her. It's not a room she recognizes, not her house then.

"You're awake. I made breakfast," Elijah says and she's worried she's in the future, but she knows she isn't by his hair. Elena's aware of how old her flapper dress is when she looks at his suit, no tie this time.

"No tie?" She asks and he grins with a flash of teeth.

"You appeared before I could pick one," Elijah says and Elena laughs before her stomach growls.

"You mentioned breakfast?" Elena asks and Elijah nods as she moves off the bed.

"I hope you like pancakes," Elijah says. Elena can smell warm vanilla in the air.

"Pancakes are good," Elena replies as she looks around. It's a pretty normal bedroom, it must be Elijah's.

"Where are we? What year is it?" Elena wonders as she follows him into the kitchen.

"New York City, 2009," Elijah answers.

* * *

Breakfast was comfortable small talk and helping Elijah pick a tie.

"You look more comfortable in this time period," Elijah notes as he straightens his tie.

"This has to be my last stop before I get back to my time period. Back home," Elena admits. They both thought 1919 was her last stop before her time.

Elijah looks lost in thought as she continues eating. Elijah has good coffee, and she starts on a first cup with her pancakes.

"I don't kill Klaus in the future. Somehow-he brings back our family," Elijah guesses hesitantly. Elena's familiarity with his siblings before she was sent back in time means they're not lost at sea.

"Yeah," Elena confirms. Elijah knows he shouldn't press and for the next few days he can't record anything in his journals related to Elena, but he wants to.

"Mind if I use your shower?" Elena asks.

"Not at all. If you're okay with it, I'd like to get you something better suited clothing than the dress you're wearing," Elijah says and Elena nods.

"Hold on, I'll write down my sizes. And do you mind getting a flat iron and a few other things? I hate having my hair like Katherine's," Elena says and Elijah watches her write for a moment.

"Consider it done," Elijah says and shows her the bathroom.

* * *

The curls she had her hair in 1919 was nice, but it's nice to have her long hair back. It's even better to be back in jeans, socks, and the soft sweater she's in. Elijah picked well.

"Do you remember 1490, when I laughed and told you I'd explain later?" Elena wonders. Elijah nods.

"You said the time suited me. In my time, you only wear suits-I thought it was funny," Elena explains and he chuckles.

"Do you want to see New York City?" Elijah asks.

"Does Klaus know you're here? Could he find us?" Elena asks.

"No. Klaus is too paranoid to come find us directly. And he'll put it together like I did, the future means we'll be reunited as a family and you'll meet us in the future. Killing or harming either of us puts that in jeopardy. He wouldn't risk that," Elijah says.

"He really wants to break his curse right now though," Elena says uneasily.

"What made you afraid of him?" Elijah asks, eyes curious and voice gentle.

"Klaus killed me. Or he does. He breaks his hybrid curse and makes hybrids like him. He killed my Aunt Jenna in front of me. It's a long story," Elena says.

"We're safe. I promise," Elijah says and Elena raises an eyebrow.

"When was the last time you talked to him?" Elena asks.

"I stayed behind to delay Mikael. After you left, Mikael came to New Orleans and tried to kill Niklaus. Rebekah and Niklaus fled and I planned on joining them-but I began to only hear about Niklaus. I assumed he daggered Rebekah and that he was going to want a full set of daggered siblings. I've been avoiding him and my father since," Elijah says and Elena frowns.

"You know Stefan? As in the Stefan who left me and came back? I'm pretty sure Rebekah tried to pick Stefan over Klaus. Klaus compelled Stefan to forget them and daggered Rebekah over it. That's why you didn't hear anything about her," Elena tells him. This is the last time she'll be stuck in before home, and Elijah can't do much with the information she gives anyway.

* * *

"I thought you said Elena thought she'd be back," Bonnie says.

"She's with me in 2009. If our math is right and it is, she'll only be there a week," Elijah says and Alaric sighs. Caroline smiles at that news.

"So that's where you were," Klaus says.

* * *

It's a busy week-Elijah shows her everything he can fit into their short days. Knowing she's living in Mystic Falls at the same time is unsettling-if she could tell her past self so much. There's so much pain and heartache she could avoid-but that would change things. It's her last night before home anyway.

"What are you thinking about?" Elijah sits next to her on the couch.

"I've only been really tempted to change things a few times. But I could go to Mystic Falls and save myself so much heartache. I could save Jenna. I could save John and Isobel. Matt's sister Vicki, so many people dead and gone in my time. I could change things. And I miss Jenna. I miss her so much. She tried so hard after my parents died to be a good guardian and raise us," Elena says. Elijah pulls her closer and she leans into him.

"I know I can't. I know. But I just want to hear her voice. Do you think a wrong number call would really be so bad?" Elena asks, eyes full of hope he knows he can't take away.

* * *

"Hello, this is Jenna Sommers speaking," Jenna says. Elena holds her breath and waits.

"Hello?" Jenna asks. Elena ends the call and hands Elijah's phone back to him.

"If that's one of the last things I get to do here, I'm glad I did it," Elena's voice is heavy and her eyes are shiny with tears. Elijah kisses her forehead and she cries for a moment. Grief sits in her ribcage and the tears burn her face but she wouldn't have traded that call for the world.

"Thank you," Elena says and Elijah nods.


	23. Home

AN: So my laptop got messed up so I haven't been able to write for a few horrible days. I got it fixed and Halsey released a new album full of music for me to write to so I finally got this done. One more chapter and then this will be marked as complete. More elejah to come once I get this fic done.

* * *

Elena takes time to herself after the call. The grief is old but it still hurts. When she has dry eyes, she sits next to him on the couch, head pressed into the shoulder.

"I wish it was always quiet and peaceful like this," Elena says after a few minutes. There's too many impossible wishes between them.

"But we know it can't be. Maybe in the future," Elijah says and Elena nods. Her eyes begin to close and Elijah kisses her forehead.

* * *

Elena wakes up in her own living room, too many faces looking at her. Bonnie's the first to offer her a hand, Elena takes it and stands up. Elijah stands apart from the others, the only Mikaelson in the house. Elena finds herself engulfed in a group hug, her eyes flicker to Elijah's-she needs to talk to him. She has no idea where they stand, if he loves her-there's too many possibilities and his face doesn't offer any hints on what he's thinking.

"Later," Elijah mouths and she nods. He disappears when she blinks and she sinks into the hug, happy to have her ribs crushed and be surrounded by her family. Mrs. Forbes gives her a relieved smile. There's a million questions and food and Elena tries to answer all of them. Yes she missed them, yes she missed the food, it's good to be back.

* * *

Dinner with Jeremy and Alaric is nice, quiet. She was gone for two months, even though she was in the past longer than that. Bonnie apologized profusely but Elena waved it off. She had fun while it lasted, and it wasn't Bonnie's fault the spell went wrong. Still, the day's been long and Elena wonders what Elijah meant by later. Maybe he'll come tomorrow. Maybe he doesn't want to see her at all. Elena wonders if Marcel's alive and well, where everyone she met in the past ended up. She yawns, and shakes the thought as she opens her door.

Elena's looking forward to being able to sleep in her own bed, after a nice shower with modern plumbing and maybe she'll text Rebekah, makes plans with her friends.

Elijah's sitting on her window seat. There's nothing to indicate how he feels, if he wants to kiss her or if he hates her for changing everything. What if he doesn't love her? What if the Mikaelsons hate her for changing the timeline and getting close to them? What if Elijah only wants to be with her because he feels obligated to? Or what if he isn't in love with her but thinks he should be? Elena's mind comes up with too many bad scenarios for her to relax. They are soulmates but that doesn't mean anything if their relationship is ruined.

"So. Let's talk," Elena shifts her weight from one foot to the other, trying not to show how uncomfortable she is with the potential scenarios that might play out.

"Niklaus is Caroline's soulmate, did she tell you?" Elijah asks and she nods. She wonders if he's trying to avoid the elephant in the room or if he wants to make sure she knows.

"It's just weird to wrap my head around. I've got two sets of memories about you guys. I'm still trying to process the idea of Klaus and Caroline. But if they're happy then that's all that matters," Elena says hesitantly, Elijah's dark eyes are focused on her and she wonders what he's thinking.

They're both aware of the distance between them, Elijah doesn't want to invade her space. If Elena wants to move closer she will, that's what she used to do. Elijah wonders if she's more comfortable with a younger version of him, if she still loves him. He's waited so long to have her back and prove his love for her, but she isn't closing the distance like she used to.

"Speaking of soulmates-what do you want for us?" Elijah asks and her breath catches in her throat.

"I want us both to be happy," Elena answers carefully. Elijah waits, hoping she'll explain.

"I love you but if you don't love me, I'll move on. I don't want you to think you have to be with me and-" Elena begins.

"Elena? What are you talking about?" Elijah walks toward her, inches between them.

"I don't want you to think you need to love me or try to because of what happened in the past. And I don't want you to hate me and I'm just worried I ruined our relationship because we had a good allies thing going and then I kissed you and we don't have to be soulmates if you don't-" Elena begins.

"Elena. I was in love with you before Bonnie did that spell," Elijah says simply and he watches her eyes widen before she kisses him. It feels right, like puzzle pieces fitting together. Must be a soulmate thing.

"So we're okay? Together?" Elena asks and Elijah smiles.

"Yes," Elijah promises.

"Tomorrow, you should come over. I know it's late now and I'm sure you just want to sleep," Elijah says and Elena gives him a thankful smile.

"Sounds great," Elena says and she can't resist kissing him another time before he goes, not that he minds.


	24. Final Chapter

AN: sorry about the lack of updates lately, college sucks and my computer died a while back, so a lot of my files and outlines are gone. A lot of fic ideas are gone too and it's been hard to get back into writing. I wrote this as the last chapter and I've rewritten and messed with it for a month and I know it's not as great as my original finale I had-but here it is.

* * *

Elena wakes up in her own room the next morning, looking around for a minute. She's back, finally.

 _You up?_ Elena sends the text to Elijah. If he doesn't respond in a few minutes, she'll go back to sleep. Her phone vibrates and she yawns. He is, and she asks if he wants to grab breakfast.

* * *

It's so easy to do anything with Elijah, she can't help but give him a peck on the cheek before they're seated. Elijah has a slight grin on his lips but they don't press it as their waitress tells them about daily specials and gets their drink orders.

"I love you," Elena says after their waitress leaves them so they can look at the menu. She knows he must know why that's significant, she hasn't exactly said the words since she got back.

"I love you too," he says and she can't keep the smile off her face. Elena looks at him, sitting across from her in a black suit with a similar look on his face.

"Oh my god," Elena laughs, and he raises an eyebrow.

"What is it?" Elijah asks, and Elena laughs harder, not louder.

"I haven't said I love you, like the three words since 2009. That's so weird," Elena tells him between bursts of laughter and he laughs too. He wouldn't trade what they have for anything.

* * *

It feels like they haven't been together for three hours-not that Elena watches the clock.

"It's so weird to get used to using a phone again. I would have _killed_ for one the first week," Elena admits and Elijah just grins, he remembers.

"My family wants to see you," Elijah says, after a quick glance at his phone.

"Then let's go. It feels like it's been forever since I've seen them," Elena tells him and he sends a quick text to Rebekah.

* * *

"Elena!" Rebekah shouts, and Elena's really not expecting to be crowded as she gets out of the car, but she doesn't mind.

"Get in here, Elijah," Rebekah demands and Elena gets crushed in a group hug, in a good way. It's nice to be back but knowing she doesn't have to leave is better.

"Okay, the human is a little too crushed," Elena says and the hug ends. Klaus has a mischievous look on his face.

"How do you feel about visiting New Orleans again?" Klaus asks, throwing an arm over Elena's shoulder. They're still outside, still haven't bothered to actually get into their sprawling mansion. Klaus seems too impatient to hear her answer but she doesn't care.

"What does _Caroline_ think about it?" Elena asks instead, a teasing tone to her voice because two can play at that game-and Rebekah laughs.

"She said she'd go if you want to go," Klaus says, shifting slightly. Elena looks to Elijah who looks as amused as she feels.

"Sounds fun," Elena says and Klaus grins.

"Thank you, love," Klaus says and Elena shrieks as he picks her up and spins her around.

"Don't break our sister-in-law," Rebekah chides and Elena is set down, leaning on Elijah. Elijah helps her find her center of balance again and Elena responds before he does.

"We're not married," Elena says carefully, looking to Rebekah. Elijah won't find offense to that, they were close for the time periods she visited, but they aren't married. Elena thinks about that, all the times they _could_ have gotten married. Someday, they'll cross that bridge, but definitely not her first day back.

"You're basically married," Klaus dismisses. Elena looks at the others, Kol shrugs and Klaus and Rebekah grin. Finn and Elijah watch her carefully.

"We kind of are," Elena muses, after a moment. Elijah waits to see if she'll say anything more or if that's all.

"I love it," Elena finishes and Elijah smiles, it's so _easy_ to smile with Elena around.

"I don't want to leave for a while, I just got back, but I do want to go back to New Orleans," Elena tells Klaus.

"Good to hear," Klaus grins. Elijah slips an arm around her waist as they move the discussion to the living room. Elena can relax, there are no secrets to keep, she doesn't have to bite her tongue or worry about ruining the future ever again. In a few hours, she'll go home and spend time with her family, she'll have a girls night with Bonnie, Caroline and Rebekah soon, and do everything she needs to. Elena will turn someday, but she's back where she should be, and no one is trying to kill the people she loves. She and Elijah have nothing but time, and she's going to take advantage of that.

* * *

finis


End file.
